Apparatus for printing wood-graining and the like.



v LE. CURRENT & W. J. WESLEY. APPARATUS FOR PRINTING WOOD GRAINING ANDTHE LIKE.

PPPPPP ATION FILED MAY 13 1909.

950,277. Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

2 BHEETS+SHEET 1.

WITNESSES ATTORNE rs I J. E. CURRENT & W. J. WESLEY. APPARATUS FORPRINTING WOOD GRAINING AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13,1909.

1E a y V:

m 7 A m E d2 um WITNESSES UNITE STATES ra rnn'r OFFIC JAMES EDWINoimnmv'r AND WILLIAM JOHN 'WEVSLEY, or. ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

I APPARATUS FOR PRINTING WOOD-.GRATNING ANT) THE LIKE.

Specificatidn ,of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 13, 1909. Serial No. 495,622.

To all whom it may concern? Be it known that we, JAMES EDWIN CUR- RENTand WILLIAM JOHN lVEsLEY, both citizens of the United States, andresidents of Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and Improved Apparatus for Printing Vood- Graining andthe Like, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in the production ofartificial wood graining, and more particularly to a device adapted tobe moved over a surface and print or produce thereon the semblance ofwood graining.

The mainobject of our invention is to so construct the apparatus that itmay be used in producing a graining or printing on any stationarywallirrespective of its shape or position.

Our improved device is portable and operates continuously as it movesalong the surface.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which sim lar characters of reference indicatecorrespondlng parts mall the figures, and in which- Figure l is aperspective view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with ourinvention; Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the same, parts beingomitted; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4is a section similar to Fig. 8, but showing the frame in its collapsedposition; and Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the sections goingto make up one of the extended rollers.

Our improved apparatus includes as an essential feature, a movablemember having a printing surface adapted to contact with tne surface tobe printed upon and remain in contacttherewith for a. short interval asthe apparatus moves along. In the specific form illustrated this movableprinting member is in the form of an endless belt 10, supported upon twospaced rollers 12 and 13. The belt may be made ofany suitablesubstantially non-elastic material, as, for instance, canvas, and itssurface is provided with a coating or covering of gelatin. The

two rollers are mounted in a frame which includes side members 14 and 15spaced apart and held rigid in respect to each other by cross braces 16and 17. The ends of the axle of the roller 12 are secured to slides 18movable in slots 19 in one end of the frame, while the ends of the axleof the other roller 13 are movable in slots 20 in the op osite end ofthe frame. For maintaining t e rollers spaced apart and thus holding theendless belt substantially taut, a coil spring 21 may be employed ineach of the slots 20, for forcing the roller 13' away from the roller12, and the slides 18.may be provided'with teeth Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

or notches for engagement with pivoted dogs or pawls 22 to limit themovement of the roller 12 toward the roller 13. Thus, the tension of thespring may be increased or decreased as desired, by the movement of theslides 18, and the endless belt may be held under the desired tension.

In preparing the belt, we first take a 1 wooden cylinder having thedesired graining and accentuate this graining by deepening the same. Thegelatin .is then cast on the wooden cylinder, so that whenit is removedthere is formed the endless belt with the imprint of the pores of thewood in relief on the belt. The belt is then placed in position aboutthe rollers, and as the apparatus is moved along over the surface uponwhich it is desired to produce the artificial graining, the rollersrotate and the belt is pressed into engagement with the surface.

In using the device the frame is preferably held at an angle to thesurface over whlch it is traveling, so that the belt engages with saidsurface only as it passes over one roller and is spaced a considerabledistance 'above. the surface as it passes over the other roller.

with its ends extending through slots 24 in the upper portion of theside members of the frame. The roller may be raised and lowered andserves not only to distribute the ink upon the endless belt, but alsoserves as a belt tightenen. Carried by the two side members of the frameat one side of the roller-23, is a transverse bar 25 carrying acontainer 26 for the ink or other coloring material. Extendingfoutwardlyfrom this container is a brush 2? resting upon the upper surface of'theroller 23, so that as said roller rotates by its .frictional engagementwith the belt, the ink is withdrawnfrom the brush and transferred to thebelt. The ink is drawn from the container 26 into the shown, the sidemembers 14 and 15 are provided with inwardly-directed arms 28 and 29,lying in parallel planes and adapted to be secured together by a setscrew 30, as indicated in Fig. 4, or adapted to be spaced apart andsecured rigid in respect to each other by an intermediate connectingpiece 31 and two fasteners 32 and 33, as indicated in Fig. 3. Each 'ofthe rollers 12 and 13 may, if desired, be made up of a plurality ofseparate sections, any one of which may be re-.

10V8d when the side members of the frame are brought toward each otherand a narrower belt is employed. As shown, each of the two'rollers isformed of two sections 3-1 and 35, which may be mounted on the same axle36, so that the section 35 may be removed and a shorter axle be providedin place of the axle 36. Each section 34 and 35 is preferably formed ofcomposition cast upon a hollow metaltube 37 encircling the axle. Thetube acts as a bearing sleeve for the axle and prevents the compositionfrom being worn by contact with the axle.

It is, of course, evident that the outersurface of the endless belt maybe provided with any design, printing or ornamentation, which it isdesired to print upon the surface of any article -or structure. Thespecific form illustrated is especially designed for producing agraining effect upon wood,

metal or-other suitable material, butthe use of the device is in no waylimited to wood grainmg. I

Having thus described our invention, we

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1.'An apparatus of the class described, comprising a portable frameincluding side members, each having inwardly directed arms, the arms ofone side member having sliding engagement with the arms of the othermember and detachably secured thereto, rollers intermediate said sidemembers and having their ends journaled in said side members adjacentthe ends of the latter, an

3 endless belt encircling said rollers and presenting an outer printingsurface, a combined belt tightener and -ink distributing roller carriedby said side members andhaving sliding engagement therewith andresting-upon said belt, a transverse member connecting said side membersin the rear of said last-mentioned roller and above said belt, and anink container mounted on said transverse member and having a deliveringand distributing brush resting upon said lastmentioned roller. 1 1

2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a portable frameincluding side members, adj ustably secured together, rollersintermediate said side members and having their ends j ournaled in saidside members, an endless belt encircling said rollers and presenting anouter printing surface, an ink? distributing roller carried by said sidemembers, a transverse member'connecting said side members in the rear ofsaid last-mentioned roller and above said belt, and an ink containermounted on said transverse member and having a delivering anddistributing brush resting upon said last-mentioned roller.

I11 testimony, whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES ED'VVIN CURRENT. \VILLIAM J GHN WESLEY. Witnesses:

WILLIAM ALBERT BoLEs,

EDWARD HAYES.

